Re: Walton, Jr.

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I can't make up my mind on Luke Walton. Offensively, I think he could be
effective as a Eric Williams deluxe-good post-up player against small
forwards, much better rebounder and passer. He's a great passer and very
unselfish. But I think he'd get abused by small forwards on the other end.
But he's not big enough to be a true power forward. You're right that he
sounds a lot like Antoine. 

I guess I come down on the side of he'll be pretty good. He knows how to
play, he lacks any kind of personal ego and seems like the kind of kid who
would find a way to help any way he could. Kind of like Shane Battier-not a
star by any stretch, but a valuable role player on a good team. I think he's
the kind of player the current BDT wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. They
seem to prefer the clueless, laid-back, athletic types over the smart,
gutty, unathletic plodders.

As for other draft thoughts after watching a lot of basketball the last
couple of weeks... 

T.J. Ford. What can I say? The perfect fit, if they'd give him the ball and
ditch this dreadful offense. Moving up to get T.J. Ford and then trading
Antoine for a legit power forward (a Stackhouse/Kwame Brown package?) are my
offseason dreams. Ford is built like Kenny Anderson but plays like Jason
Kidd. I no longer have any concerns about his size. Like I said, he looks
like Kenny physically, and Kenny has done fine. Texas would be an NIT team
without Ford.

Carmelo Anthony. Great player. He's a true small forward. Antoine-like
skills, but applied better. He's out of our reach without trading Antoine or
Pierce to get him, and I just don't think he's worth it. He doesn't bring
that much to the table that the captains don't already, and there's that
element of the unknown. Oklahoma's coach Kelvin Sampson said he may be as
good as or better than LeBron, and I'm not so sure he's wrong. I'll probably
look like an idiot for saying this, but I think LeBron's hype has exceeded
his potential. He'll be great-maybe even Kobe great-but I've seen him play.
It's like watching a player with an NBA body and skills against the kids
from Hoosiers. He's just on a different level physically. He'd probably do
what Anthony has done in college. Of course, any GM would trade either of
our captains for LeBron. I think there's a point in there somewhere, but
I've lost track.

Hinrich and Collison (Kansas). They look like solid pros, but nothing more
than that. Collison reminds me of an undersized Christian Laettner. He'll
have a long career, but never be much more than serviceable. Hinrich just
doesn't do it for me. I may be wrong, but I'm just not seeing it. I don't
think he sees the floor well. His effectiveness is dependent on his jumper.
I don't see him making other players better. Again, I don't seem him as much
more than OK. Maybe I haven't seen him enough. Tammo would know more about
both these guys.

Dwyane Wade. He's an undersized shooting guard, and I hate those guys. But
for some reason, I think he might be able to make the adjustment. I see a
little Steve Francis in him. He'll never be a point guard, but he handles,
passes and rebounds too well to be a non-factor in the NBA. He's a good
athlete and he knows how to play. I'm not sure I can come up with a great
comparison. Quentin Richardson? Not exactly. I don't know. I think he makes
it, though.

Emeka Okafor. Very interesting. The Mourning comparisons are pretty
accurate, only he's slightly shorter (and that's significant). Not sure he's
a center in the NBA, but how many centers are there in the NBA? He's not a
power forward. Maybe a Mourning/Theo Ratliff hybrid. I like him a lot.

Chris Kaman. He's OK. Nice hands, nice touch, plays pretty hard. Puts up
huge numbers against sub-par competition (the MAC is very sub-par; I've seen
a lot of MAC basketball). I remember Casey Shaw dominating at Toledo of the
MAC. Who's Casey Shaw? That's my point exactly. Kaman will be a decent
player, but don't expect much more than that. He's not Ilgauskas. Cross
Ilgauskas' game with Brad Miller's size and you're close. But that's not
bad, is it?

Raymond Felton. Love him. If we stay where we are and Ford is off the board,
Felton is my pick. Another natural point guard who can make teammates
better. Not quite the dynamic playmaker Ford is, but a little better
shooter. Only a freshman, so he's not as polished as Ford. He was the single
biggest factor in North Carolina's turnaround this year (although the end
result still wasn't up to Carolina standards).

That's about it. I know Ray takes a lot of heat, most of it deserved, but
I'll give credit where it's due when it comes to the international players.
I appreciate the posts about these guys.

Mark